“ It was my pleasure as well , Ayaka-chan . Good-bye .” And with that , she turned and walked toward the river – leaving me to stare after her as she glided away from us . It made my determination to become a geisha increase greatly ; I had never wanted anything so much in my life .
“ Come , Ayaka-chan , we must return home ,” my father said , taking my hand and turning for home . “ Ueda-san will be waiting .”
As we walked away , I looked back over my shoulder , meaning to get one last glimpse of her ; but she stood not far from away , staring after us , a look of deep sadness on her face , as if she were greatly troubled by something .
I came back from my memories as the kimono clad figure of a man entered through the open door . His long dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail to keep it out of his face . His crystal blue eyes quickly investigated the room for anything out of the ordinary . As he came closer to my futon , I noticed that he was carrying a tray with a single porcelain teacup on it . The door began to slide shut of its own accord , but not before my fourteen-year-old ward Pandim quietly snuck into the room behind him . Viken stopped and so did Pandim as he opened his mouth to tell her to leave , but I spoke first .
“ Let her be , Viken ,” I said softly and struggled to sit up again .
“ Shizuka ! You ’ re awake !” Pandim bounded over to my bed and sat on the edge . “ You ’ ve been out of it forever .”
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